What’s new in employment law this year?

New Year, new legislation? Coronavirus may still dominate the headlines and continues to be a major focus for business owners, but we wanted to highlight some other important HR topics to stay abreast of in 2022.

Pay increases

Hopefully already on your radar, national minimum wage (NMW) and national living wage (NLW) rates will increase on 1st April as follows:

• NLW workers aged 23 or older from £8.91 to £9.50.

• NMW workers aged 21 and 22 from £8.36 to £9.18, and for those aged 18-20 from £6.56 to £6.83.

• NMW workers younger than 18 who are no longer compelled to attend school, from £4.62 to £4.81.

• NMW first year apprentices or under-19s from £4.30 to £4.81.

Several statutory pay rates including maternity, paternity, adoption, shared parental leave and parental bereavement pay will increase from £151.97 to £156.66 on 3rd April.

From 6th April, sick pay will rise from £96.35 to £99.35, and the statutory redundancy weekly cap will also increase.

Extra bank holiday

An additional bank holiday has been announced for Friday 3rd June to mark the Queen’s Jubilee, whilst the spring bank holiday has moved to Thursday 2nd June this year, creating a long weekend.

The new bank holiday is not an automatic day off for everyone though and the wording in your employment contracts will be the decider. Some employers may like to acknowledge it as a goodwill gesture if it can work for the business. Start thinking about staffing now and prepare for an influx of leave requests from those hoping for a longer break.

Employer’s duty to prevent sexual harassment

Employers already have a duty of care to protect their staff. The change due to come into effect places a duty on employers to proactively prevent sexual harassment in the workplace. A statutory code of practice is expected to be launched as a guide.

Whilst it has not yet been confirmed that this change will come into effect this year, business owners can prepare by encouraging a culture of respect and inclusivity in the workplace.

Vaccinations

Back to COVID-19 to share a reminder that mandatory vaccinations have been announced as a condition of deployment from April for care home and health and social care workers, as well as NHS workers, in England.

Employers in other industries looking to introduce a “no jab, no job policy” or amend sick pay for unvaccinated staff should seek professional advice to avoid the risk of discrimination.

Right to work checks

Digital right to work checks were temporarily introduced during the pandemic to ease delays to employment during lockdown. From April, the change becomes permanent and government validation technology will be available for employers conducting checks on British and Irish citizens. An existing online service will be available for right to work checks on overseas applicants.

The Employment Bill

The Employment Bill was announced in 2019 but has been largely overshadowed by the pandemic. Important changes that may occur in 2022 as a result of the bill include:

• The right to request flexible working from day one.

• A right for workers to request more predictable hours after 26 weeks of continued service.

• One week of unpaid carer’s leave from day one.

• A code of practice on fair and transparent distribution of gratuities will see hospitality workers gain the right to receive their tips in full.

• Extended redundancy protections for pregnant workers and those on maternity leave.

Whilst the above is not an exhaustive list, it should help you to remain aware of the key HR topics that may affect your business and people management this year. If you have questions, do call us.

The HR Dept is now the UK’s largest network of HR professionals providing outsourced HR support. Our clients vary, from tiny start-ups to established brands, across all industries.

We pride ourselves on delivering cost-effective employment law advice and HR solutions that leave you free to concentrate on growing your business.

Your local HR Dept Offices:

Eastbourne, Brighton and Hove
Serena May
serena.may@hrdept.co.uk
01323 403500 

Chichester, Arun, Worthing, Adur and Horsham
Sue Beeby
susan.beeby@hrdept.co.uk
01243 214404